Saving via sunlight

One of the most incredible and most impactful ways we’re working to help the environment is our investment in solar power; six of our business centres currently have solar panels installed, these include:

• St George’s Business Park , Sittingbourne – currently has two solar panel arrays, with a third array scheduled to be installed this year
• Churchill Square , Kings Hill – eight solar panel arrays
• Waterhouse Business Centre , Chelmsford – four solar panel arrays
• Capital Business Centre , Croydon – three solar panel arrays
• Greenway Business Centre , Harlow – two solar panel arrays, with plans for a third this year
• Milton Keynes Business Centre  – two solar panel arrays

Across all of the solar panel arrays, we have the capacity to generate 650,000 kWh annually, and we’re likely to consume 80% of this.

In 2018 we generated 509,159kWh; based on our current electricity prices, we estimate that saved us approximately £59,522. Some of the panels in Churchill Square and Milton Keynes were not in place for the whole of the year, so we would expect the total amount of electricity generated – and the amount of money saved –to be considerably higher in 2019.

Sustainable developments

Whenever we develop a new site, we always consider sustainable options. When deciding where to situate  our business accommodation centres, we consider issues such as potential contamination, waste recycling during building work and the connections to local travel links customers will use; we always aim to make it easier for them to travel long distances for work purposes without the need to drive. We also focus on the total life costs of the materials that we use, and not simply the initial cost of construction; we choose materials and finishes that are long-lasting, uncomplicated to maintain and simple to use.

Our builds are also equipped with a number of energy-saving features, so that the power that goes into our buildings is used economically and efficiently. These include:

• High-tech insulation
• Solar panels, where practical
• Solar control window film, to provide protection from heat, glare and UV
• Efficient boilers, heating-systems, light fittings and control equipment
• Sun pipes, which encourage natural daylight into internal areas
• Efficient refrigerators

Green initiatives in our business centres

A number of our business centres are currently undergoing renovations to modernise their energy-saving potential and to improve their synchrony with the natural environment. These include:

• Electric vehicle points: Our four electric car-charging pod points, installed at Churchill Square in December 2017, have proved to be very popular and in the last 12 months have saved 1,876 kWh, meaning 1,056 kg fewer CO₂ emissions!
• LED Light panels within communal hallways and gradually replacing older model lights with LEDs during periods of inoccupancy.
• Cardboard recycling: Cardboard is recycled separately to general waste, with large skip bins on site which are collected weekly to encourage recycling of cardboard.
• General waste recycling: Our waste disposal operator CSH Environmental sorts and sifts through black bin bags when the general waste reaches their recycling plant. At this point plastics, paper, shredded paper, glass, food waste and aluminium are then recycled where possible.
• Additional solar investment: We have recently had an assessment carried out by Green Energy Electrical, September 2018, with an aim to install Solar Panels on the roofs at Colchester to ‘save via sunlight’.
• Flora and fauna: We have bird tables, bird feeding boxes and maintained gardens with flowers, trees and shrubs to support the natural environment.

Capital Space  is run by remarkable people who are intent on not only providing an excellent, convenient service to our customers, but also supporting the environment. Our green and eco-friendly initiatives are making a difference to our energy consumption and the more we develop in the future, the more energy we will save.